Pastor's Note

FIRST TIME YOU’VE EVER HEARD THE STORY
March 23rd, 2008

I recall once talking to an adult, who lived here in Ohio, who had never heard that Jesus was crucified. He was wandering around the church while his fiancée was talking with me. Actually, he had seen the Stations of the Cross and started to follow them. When he got to the twelfth station, he got very upset and came over to me, asking, “Who was that man and what were they doing to him?”
To this day, I am surprised to think that someone could have lived into his adult years without knowing that Jesus had been crucified. We’ve all heard the story since childhood. In the same way, we have heard over and over again that Jesus rose from the dead. In fact, the stories of his resurrection are repeated every year.
Most of us have the opposite problem, not that we have not heard the stories, but that we have heard them so often, we fail to really listen.
There must be a way to listen to any passage from the Gospel as if it is for the first time. That would require setting aside pre-conceived images. It would mean listening for the whole message and all the subtleties of language.
But if you can’t put yourself in that position of listening like it’s the first time, then listen like it the most important time. Let the passage overwhelm you as you immerse yourself in it. Use emotions to participate in the confusion of the disciples, their perplexed response to an empty tomb, and the joy of hearing the good news that he is alive!
The Gospel account of the resurrection is always good news, whether it is the first time to hear it or the two hundredth time.